You'll Be Plugging In Your Bentley by 2017

Bentley says a hybrid car coming out in 2017 will see a 70% decrease in emissions but a 25% increase in power.

SAN DIEGO (TheStreet) -- If you've been searching for a way to do your part in reducing carbon emissions but haven't been able to settle for the spare comfort of a Prius, Bentley may have the answer.

The ultra luxury carmaker recently unveiled its vision for the future with the debut of a Bentley hybrid concept car, making Bentley the first prestige luxury car manufacturer to offer such technology.

"I think it's important for us to demonstrate our commitment to the future and to sustainability. It's a very important statement for us," says Bentley's director of product management, Paul Jones, during a telephone interview from the company's headquarters in England.

Bentley showed off its new hybrid technology in a Mulsanne concept car at the Beijing International Automotive Show in late April.

The Bentley hybrid technology will be available to the public in 2017 in the company's first-ever SUV offering. Bentley has not revealed the price for its first hybrid plug-in vehicle.

Some of the highlights of the Bentley hybrid include it offering a 25% increase in power yet a 70% decrease in emissions. The vehicle will have a driving range of at least 50 kilometers (or 31 miles) on electric power alone.

"This vehicle reinforces what we stated a number of years ago about our strategy to have an ongoing reduction in our emissions," Jones says. "In 2012 we launched a V8 that led to a 40% reduction in our emissions. Now this brings us to a 70% reduction. So it's really the next chapter in our drive for our vehicles to become more efficient."